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Sentencing guidelines consultation

19/12/2018

The Sentencing Council for England and Wales promotes greater consistency in sentencing, whilst maintaining the independence of the judiciary. The Council produces guidelines on sentencing for the judiciary and aims to increase public understanding on sentencing.

The Council is consulting on sentencing guidelines for Health and Safety offences, corporate manslaughter, food safety and hygiene offences. The proposals if implemented will ensure sentences that are proportionate to the seriousness of the offence while, as required by law, taking account of the financial circumstances of the offender. It is proposed that an offending organisation's means will initially be based on its turnover as this is a clear indicator that can be easily assessed and is less susceptible to manipulation than other accounting methods. However, the guideline also requires the court to consider the organisation's wider financial circumstances to ensure that fines can be properly and fairly assessed. The consultation is open until 18th February 2015 and can be accessed at: